News / Society

English Junior doctors go on strike in contract row

Wednesday, 06 April 2016 12:29 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 06 April 2016 12:28 PM ]

Junior doctors hold placards as they start a 48-hour strike outside the St Thomas Hospital in London, Britain, on April 6, 2016. ©AP

Junior doctors across England have begun a 48-hour strike in a long-running dispute with the British government over working conditions.

The walkout, which began at 08:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Wednesday, is the fourth industrial action by junior doctors to date against the proposed amendments to their contract, which will see a change in pay and working hours.

Over 5,000 procedures and operations in the state-run National Health Service (NHS) in England have been postponed due to the work stoppage.

The UK’s Department of Health described the strike as "irresponsible and disproportionate," adding that approximately 25,000 operations have now been cancelled due to the actions since January.

Johann Malawana, chairman of the junior doctors committee at the British Medical Association (BMA), expressed regret over the disruption, but stressed that the physicians had "no choice."

Junior doctors' new contract “would be bad for the delivery of patient care in the long term,” Malawana said, adding, “By pursuing its current course, the government risks alienating a generation of doctors.”

If no agreement is reached between ministers and junior doctors' leaders, the BMA intends to stage a full strike on April 26 and 27.

Junior doctors hold placards as they start a 48-hour strike outside the St Thomas Hospital in London, Britain, on April 6, 2016. ©AFP

Ministers first drew up plans for the new contract in 2012, but talks over the arrangement broke down and the government announced in February that it would impose the contract in August.

The government believes the changes will create a truly seven-day service, but the BMA is launching a judicial review challenging the lawfulness of the imposition of the contract.

"Doctors have a very real concern that the imposed terms will stretch the existing resource too thinly and will threaten the quality of patient care," said Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patient Association advocacy group.

Junior doctors are recently-qualified doctors who are working to become either consultants or community-based general practitioners.

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